Kaska Eatery

“Kaska” is a Latin word that roughly means classic, ancient or traditional. And classic is exactly what owners Daniel Blackman and Faye Montalban are going for at their Darlinghurst cafe. Kaska isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel – its goal is to nail all the cafe hits instead.

That means excellent coffee, with beans by Mecca, served any way you like. That means brown butter and sesame scrambled eggs; and a bacon and egg roll with American cheese in a potato bun. And it also means chicken sandwiches, four-cheese toasties and salads with copious add-ons. In lesser hands that line-up might feel rote and safe. But under the care of Blackman – an industry veteran who co-founded influential Potts Point cafe Room Ten – it’s confident and satisfying.

The finer details at Kaska are what makes it, from its house-fermented pickles and kimchi (deployed in the top-selling Ploughman’s Plate and kimchi pancake, respectively) to those top-tier supplies from Pepe Saya butter, McMahons Point bakery Fiore Bread, and Quatro Stelle smallgoods in Belmore.

Combine that with an earthy and concrete-heavy interior by Chloë McCarthy, and a wide-ranging menu that’s priced rather reasonably considering who’s involved, and you end up with a neighbourhood spot whose pull is tough to resist.